Many thanks to Mr. Carruthers, Ms. Liggett, and Mr. Harnick for their good work throughout the year, and of course, thanks to all of our students for theirs. In the coming weeks, we will continue to celebrate the arts using virtual means featuring student work in dance, music, theater, and the annual poetry festival.
With nearly a month of virtual teaching and learning under our belts, the faculty and administration are busy reflecting on what is working well and what needs further improvement. Dean of Faculty Jeremy Freeman has surveyed our teachers about their experiences and I wanted to share a few of his thoughts on meeting our goals so far: “We will meet our goal for this year if we can continue to maintain regular contact with our students, engage them, and further improve ways of gathering assessments while covering our previously planned curriculum. The School’s mission lives on in this new, virtual setting where we are striving to continue to provide an environment that enables “academic success and confidence in an inclusive and diverse learning environment that embraces character, balance, and trust.”
We will share more of what Mr. Freeman and the rest of the faculty learned in an upcoming issue of
On the Mountain magazine. Sometime between now and the end of the school year, we will also survey our students and parents to find out how online teaching and learning has progressed from their points of view. All of these insights will be invaluable for improving the online academic program and other aspects of virtual school life if we must continue to rely on this model next year.
Of course, what the future holds still remains to be seen. I realize that many of you have questions for which we are still finding answers. Please be assured that we are continuing to work toward the best solutions to conclude this school year, as well as alternative scenarios for next year. We will communicate more information about this in the coming days.
As the storm outside continues, I believe we all must remain focused on what is positive. Events and accomplishments in the lives of our students and faculty like the ones I’ve covered here are small rays of hope for what the future holds. They are also clear signals that teaching and learning at Storm King remain as strong as ever, and that, as a community, we will weather this crisis together. I wish you all a happy, healthy, and arts-filled weekend wherever you are, and look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions, as always.
